Switch-operating mechanism.



. PATENTED DEG'IQZJ, 190s.

0. D. HUNT. :SWITGH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 21. 1903.

no MODEL;

NVEJVTOR.

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Adorn eys.

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' accompanying drawings. .10

. dependently thereof, and it further consists showing the rails,switch-point, slot, and the Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER D. HUNT, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,885, dated December22, 1903.

Application filed March 21,1902.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER D. HUNT, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing atOolumbus, in the county of Franklin and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the This invention relates toimprovements in mechanism for operating switch-points from a moving car;and its object is to provide simple, cheap, and efficient means for thispurpose, which means are located entirely beneath the surface of theroadway where vehicles can in no way break or dislocate the parts.

To this end the invention consists in providing a guide-slot in theroad-bed to receive any suitable bar operating an arm on the car andbeneath this slot locating a longitudinal rock-shaft provided withupwardly-extending arms having ends provided with inclines to projectacross the slot and rock the shaft when engaged by the operating-bar,the shaft being suitably connected to the switch-point to operate thesame.

The invention also consists in providing means whereby the parts willnot be broken if by accident the shaft is prevented from turning whenthe switch-point is thrown inin the particular-arrangement andcombination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewof the road-bed,

operating mechanism for the point in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is across-section of one of the casings for the rock-arms, and Fig. 4 asection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, A is the rail of the main track, B the branchrailor switch, and O the switch-point. Y

D is a plate or casting located at any convenient point in the road-bedand having a guide-slot D, extendinglongitudinally of the track toreceive and guide any suitable arm or bar carried by each car, andextending Serial lilo. 148,921. (No model.)

longitudinally beneath this slot is. a rockshaft E, journaled inbearings in casings F, secured to the under side of the plate D. Thesecasings are made in halves, bolted together, and within each casingsecured to the rock-shaft is a rock-arm G, having a laterally andforwardly extending upperend G,formed with a contact-face G at one side,which face is inclined or is slanting in the direction of the travel ofthe contacting arm on the car, so that when such an operating-arm isprojected into the slot it will engage the inclined face and forcing thearm out of its path rock the shaft. The laterally-extending end G of oneof the arms is adapted to be projected across the slot from one side,while that of the other arm is adapted to be projected across from theopposite side of the slot, and the arms are so secured to the rock-shaftrelative to each other that when one is projected across the slot theother will be at one side thereof and out of operative position. Thusthe engagement and operation of the arm projecting across the slotthrows the other arm into operative position. These rock arms are guidedand their movement limited by said casings.

The rock-shaft is extended along within the roadbed through any desirednumber of suitable bearings E to a point opposite the switch-point,where a casing H having a bearing for the shaft is provided, and on theend the side of the casing, with its head engaging the outer surface ofthe casing to guide the upper end of the arm I and strengthen the same.The opposite end of said connectingrod is pivotallyattached to theswitch-point, and intermediate its ends the rod is divided and theadjacent ends connected by a cylinder K,secured to one of the ends andapistonhead K to the opposing end within the cylinder, springs Kbeinginterposed between the heads of the cylinder and the sides of thepiston-head to normally hold-the head from moving in the cylinder. Thethrow of the arm I is greater than the throw of the switchpoint, so thatwhen said arm is thrown by the rock-shaft the spring at one side of thepiston-head K will be compressed to force the switch-point into contactwith the rail. These springs will also yield should the operatingmechanism in any way be prevented from operating and allow theswitch-point to throw sufficiently to allow the Wheel of a car comingdown the track to pass, and will yield, should the switch-point beclogged, when the device is operated by the operatingarm on a car goingup. When the parts are in position shown in the drawings, if theoperating-arm on a car moving up the track toward the switch is throwndown it will enter the slot and passing the first rockerarm will engagethe incline of the second and rock the shaft, thus throwing the switchpoint from the rail B over to the rail A, and the car will be directedonto the track B. This movement of the rock-shaft also throws the firstrock-arm into operative position, so that the operating-arm on the nextcar going the same direction is lowered, it will engaged the firstroclnarm and throw the switch-point from rail A to rail 13.

The switch-point may be thrown bya pinchbar or by a car-wheel and therock-arms will always be in an operative position, and as there are noarms or parts projecting above the road-bed a very practicalconstruction is secured, which is compact and not liable to get out oforder.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. Thecombination, with a switch-point, of a rock-shaft, means connecting saidshaft and switch-point for throwing the point when the shaft is turned,and rock-arms on said shaft adapted to be projected, one at a time,across the path of operating means carried by the car for engaging saidarms and rocking the shaft.

2. The combination, with a switch-poin t, of a rock-shaft, meansconnecting said shaft and switch-point for throwing the point when theshaft is turned, rock arms on said shaft adapted to project into thepath of an arm carried by the car for operating the rockarms and soarranged that the engaging and moving in one direction of one arm out ofthe path by the operating-arm moves the other arm into the path.

3. The combination, with a switch-point, of a rock-shaft, meansconnecting said shaft and switch-point for operating the point when theshaft is turned, and rock-arms on said shaft at a distance apart andhaving slanting sides adapted to be engaged by an operating-arm on thecar to move the rock-arm and turn the shaft.

4. The combinatiomwith a switch-point, of a rock-shaft, means connectingsaid shaft and the switch-point for operating the point when the shaftis turned, and rock-arms on said shaft adapted to be engaged by anoperatinging faces adapted to be engaged by an operating-arm on the ear,the face on each arm being inclined in the direction of the travel ofsaid operating-arm and each inclined outwardly in a direction oppositeto that of the other.

6. The com bination, with a switch-point, of a rock-shaft, meansconnecting the point and shaft for transmitting motion from one to theother, a guide-slot for an operating-arm carried by the car, androck-arms on the rockshaft, each adapted to be projected across the slotfrom the side thereof opposite to that of the other arm and eachprovided with a slanting face inclined in the direction of the travel ofsaid operating-arm and adapted to be contacted by said arm to move itsrock-arm from across the slot and to project the other rock-arm acrossthe same.

7. The combination, with a switch-point, of a rock-shaft, a rock-arm onsaid shaft opposite the switch-point, a connecting-rod connecting saidarm and switch-point, a guideslot extending longitudinally above therockshaft to receive and guide an operating-arm on the car, rock-arms onthe rock-shaft having upper ends extending laterally and in thedirection of the travel of the operatingarm, and also each adapted toproject across the guide-slot from a side thereof opposite to that fromwhich the other upper end extends, and casings to inclose the rock-armsand-limit the movement thereof.

8. The combination, with a switch-point, of a rock'shaft, a rock-arm onsaid shaft having a greater throw than the throw of the switchpoint, aconnecting-rod connecting the rockarm and switch-point and dividedintermediate its ends, a cylinder secured to one of the adjacent ends ofthe divided rod, a piston-head secured to the other adjacent end withinthe cylinder, springs within the cylinder at each side of the head, aguide-slot for an operating-arm carried by the car, and rock-arms on therock-shaft having slanting faces adapted to be projected across theslot.

9. The combination, with a switclrpoint, of a rock-shaft, extendinglongitudinally of the track, a rock-arm on said shaft, a casinginclosing said rock-arm and guiding the upper end of said arm, a dividedconnecting-rod attached to the upper end of said arm at one end and tothe switch-point at its opposite end, means for yieldingly connectingthe divided ends of said rod, a plate provided with a guide-slot for anoperating-arm carried by the car, castings secured to said plate andhaving bearings for the rock-shaft, rock-arms on. said shaft within thecasings, and a laterally In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

OLIVER D. HUNT.

Witnesses:

E. R. DUNN, GEO. B. DONAVIN.

